The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Nippon Ishin [Japan Innovation Party] held a meeting of their secretaries general and Diet Affairs Committee chairmen at the Diet on Nov. 6, where they agreed to cooperate to jointly submit at an early date a bill on basic policies for the prevention of addiction to horse racing, pachinko, and other existing forms of gambling. The two parties plan to submit the bill to the current special Diet session after consulting with the other parties.

LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai and Ishin Secretary General Nobuyuki Baba participated in the meeting, which was requested by Ishin. This party, which is working for the realization of integrated resorts (IR) with casinos, wants to enact the basic law as a measure to appease public opinion against lifting the ban on casinos.

Both the LDP and Ishin had submitted separate bills on gambling addiction prevention in the previous Diet session but these were scrapped due to the dissolution of the House of Representatives. Ishin is now eyeing joint submission with the LDP and other parties.

Ishin adopts a case-by-case approach in dealing with Diet affairs, distancing itself from the other opposition parties taking a confrontational stance against the ruling parties, so it has not been invited to the meetings of opposition Diet Affairs Committee chairmen. After the meeting with the LDP, Baba stressed at a news conference that the party maintains its “case-by-case” approach, and that its position remains unchanged.

The LDP is also keen on cooperating with Ishin on constitutional revision and in Diet affairs management. Its Diet Affairs Committee chair Hiroshi Moriyama told reporters: “If you ask me, I will have to say that Ishin is an opposition party,” but he also showed consideration to Ishin, stating: “It is not good to have omissions in communication, so we will do our best to inform Ishin as necessary.”